Thou Shall Prosper

Last night on the FOX Business Network, Dave Ramsey did a phone interview with businessman and author, Rabbi Daniel Lapin. Rabbi Lapin authored the book Thou Shall Prosper. Dave recently gave everyone in his company a copy of this book and it's now on his recommended reading list.

It will take you some time to work through this book. It's full of wisdom. Growing up in a Christian environment, I have to tell you that it was refreshing to hear business and Biblical teaching from the perspective of the Jewish culture. I can't begin to share with you all of the nuggets I gained from this book but one thing the book does is breakdown the stereotypes associated with business and Jews and gives a clearer picture of how the Jewish culture by its nature and integrity breathes life into successful business.

It's a good read. The only thing I would have changed is the title. I have nothing against prospering, I just wouldn't have picked it up on my own with the King James feel in the title.

The Dave Ramsey Show: Kid Version

So my buddy over at Pour Out found this first and I don't mean to steal his thunder, but this is just too good not to share with those of you who may not see it otherwise. This kid's impersonation of Dave Ramsey is spot on. We may see him on Saturday Night Live some day.

"Hold on just a second, let me find them"

Recently my wife and I started watching one of our television favorites from childhood, Who's the Boss. There are a lot of things about the 80's that we don't miss but while watching the show there were a few things I've never thought about missing. For example...

Now that we live in the day and age of cell phones, when was the last time someone called your home and you said "hold on just a second, let me find them"? With a household full of people what ever did we do with just one phone? As a caller, you could hear conversations on the other end that sounded something like the following.

"HEY! TELEPHONE!....I DON'T KNOW...SOME BOY...PICK UP THE PHONE...WHAT?....PICK UP THE PHONE...WHY?...hang on he'll be here in just a second...WHAT ARE YOU DOING?...HUH?....OH...HURRY UP...DO YOU WANT ME TO HAVE THEM CALL YOU BACK?...do you want to call him back in 5 minutes or would you like him to call you back when he gets out of the bathroom? Oh wait, I just heard the toilet flush let me see if he's coming. ARE YOU FINISHED? TELEPHONE!!...ok here he is."

Did you ever have those phone calls where it took you 5 minutes of holding on the phone to speak with the person you wanted to talk to?

Chuck Norris and Mike Huckabee

If my vote were swayed by commercials alone, Huckabee would have mine and here's why...



I saw it on The Blog Channel

My favorite two books from 2007

Several people have asked me lately about recommendations for books to read, so I have decided to list the two books that have personally inspired me from 2007. If you are still trying to figure out what to read, I recommend these and here is why.

1. So, You Don't Want to Go to Church Anymore? by Jake Colsen
This book was recommended to me by a former theology professor. The timing of this book might even be seen as providential for me. After the last few years of various events that took place in my life, "church" just wasn't somewhere I wanted to be. It's not like I hated going, but at the same time there was no desire to go. So, the title completely jumped out at me. After reading this story, it helped me refresh my view of church but more importantly helped me discover the direction to take toward the things I was looking for that "church" didn't provide but things that I assumed that "church" should have helped me with. This was one of the most refreshing books I've read in the religion genre.

2. The Fred Factor by Mark Sanborn
This little book was inspiring from the get go. The story Mark tells about the mail man who greeted him when he moved to his new Colorado home is worth the read alone. It's where the book get its name. So much of what Sanborn talks about in this book, reminded me a lot of how my mother lived her life. That alone could be the reason this book was inspiring to me. If you need a little motivation in your current position - regardless of what you do - read this one.


If you plan on reading these as a result of my recommendations, I'd appreciate your willingness to purchase them through my Amazon links below. It will help with my support of www.PetPeeving.com.

Neat photograph

I stumbled across this picture.

It's great. Very creative and well done in my opinion. It took me a second to realize what they had done in terms of setting up the scene. After I discovered it, that's when I really liked it. Simple stuff can amaze me sometimes.

Choosing to be Weird

Let me tell you something. Not only am I blessed to work with an online community that is remarkable, I simply enjoy being a part of it because of the way it makes me feel. Dave Ramsey's My Total Money Makeover is a really neat place. It does cost to be a member, but that is why it is so much better. There's little rift raft involved as a result of people making an investment in the site. But the best thing about it is the fact that the community just reaffirms the decisions I am making with my money.

The whole "being weird" thing Dave talks about isn't just a marketing line. Sometimes, I really do feel that way when it comes to financial decisions. There are people in my life who don't think seriously about financial decisions from big things to little things and when asked my opinion, I really do feel like I am sitting out in right field by myself. I know the looks I get of "Geez - someone else brainwashed by Dave". Yes, those looks make me feel weird.

So as someone who works for this online community, when I do smart things with money, the people there make me feel normal again. I like that.

Here's a blurb from the site:

What would you call someone who has no car payment, no credit card debt and has a lot of cash saved for emergencies? In today's world, you'd call them weird. And that's exactly what they are! Normal is just another way to say broke; so who wants to be normal? Would you rather be weird and have money and peace of mind, or would you rather be broke and just like everyone else? When you join Dave Ramsey's My Total Money Makeover, you'll learn how to be weird; and how much fun it is too!

Mice Problem in the Office

We have mice in our office and they are taunting us. You can read about it over at Peachy Perspective. There are now some funny comments on that post.

Strengths Finder 2.0

Tim Rath has put out the book Strengths Finder 2.0. The book gives a brief description about personal strengths and then goes into detail about 24 themes that describe what most people's strengths are. The idea of this book is to encourage you to work in your strengths and not focus on improving your weaknesses. The book also will give you access to take an online test through Gallup, which will tell you what your top 5 themes are.

Incidentally, I have also read Buckingham's Now, Go Discover Your Strengths which gives you access to Gallup's 1.0 version of the strengths finder test. I like the course of action that you take with the Strength Finder 2.0 test much more than version 1.0. Version 1.0 virtually does nothing other than tell you what your top five themes are.

It is interesting however, that 1.0 and 2.0 gave me different results in terms of what my top five strengths were. Here they are below. What are yours?

Strengths Finder 1.0 1. Competition 2. Maximizer 3. Individualization 4. Significance 5. Analytical

Strengths Finder 2.0 1. Deliberative 2. Significance 3. Intellection 4. Achiever 5. Competition

Feeling Violated

So this post is for me more than anything else, but I am feeling a little violated and a little angry at myself. Sometime between Sunday night and this morning, someone helped themselves to our son's DVD player in the minivan. We don't usually lock our doors so we had it coming I guess. It's just that it makes things a little uneasy - oh and angry.

We live in a great neighborhood with many fine upstanding people, but there are a few bad apples. For example, a few weeks back we cracked our windows one morning when the weather was nice outside. Then we heard a girl screaming "He said I was no longer a part of the family!" as she walked away from what must have been her mother. She stomped off dressed in some kind of strange outfit. On Sunday night, we noticed that girl hanging out in the street with several other friends on skateboards not caring at all about traffic. It makes me wonder if it was them.

Anyway, now we have to start locking our doors and my son's favorite DVD will need to be replaced - well maybe not since Baby Einstein was starting to drive me crazy. If it was some punk kid that took the DVD player, then I hope he/she loves it and finds a little happiness using it because I imagine their life has very little happiness anyways. Besides it's not like it was that expensive.

I suspect it was a kid, because they didn't pilfer. They just took the DVD player. They could have grabbed the other DVD player that came with the set that was in the back seat and the cash tucked away in the console. Geez, if you are going to steal stuff, at least do a good job doing it.

Dave Ramsey vs. a 3 Year Old

This is a video clip of a girl whose Daddy has listened to Dave Ramsey and as a result told his daughter that the "Princess Express" card is a bad idea. He is teaching his little girl that "credit cards" are bad. You can watch it here. I'm sure there are grown ups who probably act worse than this when it comes time for them to give up their credit cards.

Way to go dad! I Love it.

How to Do Everything with Your Web 2.0 Blog

Over the past few days I have skimmed through Todd Stauffer's book, How to Do Everything with Your Web 2.0 Blog. There were several things that I picked up on about setting up and running a blog that I have never considered before. However, most of the book helped confirm a lot of things I was already doing or discovered.

Here is what I think. If you are new to blogging - this book is a great resource to get you started and explain how the blog-o-sphere works. If you have been blogging for awhile it's still worth picking up to pick up on a few issues you may not have thought about or have forgotten.

Pet Peeving Books

Becoming a Category of One

This morning I finished up Becoming a Category of One by Joe Calloway. It's the second book in a row that I have read with a green apple on the front. In addition to that, it was a great motivational book that helped me think through ways our business stands out from others.

The case studies and stories he uses describe very well companies that are a "category of one". The stories alone will motivate you to also become a category of one yourself.

As I was reading this the idea of branding your company so that you stand out is great, but something else occurred to me. What about you as an individual? I kept asking myself how I personally can become a category of one? I wonder if that was Calloway's motivation for writing his other book Work Like Your Showing Off; a book I would recommend.

Shopping IS a pleasure at Publix!

I have posted in the past about my experiences with grocery shopping and I recall having good things to say about Publix. Anyway, I am currently reading a book by Joe Calloway entitled Becoming a Category of One. I have to say Publix is just that.

Here is why Kroger's is better. It's cheaper and more convenient. Before we had a toddler, Kroger's was just fine. However, let me tell you why we drive an 10 minutes further to pay more money for our food now.

In just one trip to Publix this is what happened. First, their race carts are better because there is no roof so our toddler doesn't feel confined. Second, there were no wipes on the cart, but an employee noticed that we were looking and went out of their way to find some without us even having to ask. Third, the bakery waved us down from about 100 feet because they saw our son and wanted to give him a cookie. That kept him satisfied the entire time. Fourth, someone greeted us at the end of the checkout lane and asked us if we were ready to check out. Fifth, three people literally fought over helping my wife unload the cart on to the conveyor belt. Sixth, all the employees made an effort to talk to our son and try to make him laugh. Every employee smiled at us. Last, they took our groceries to the car.

I'll pay an extra and drive further any day to have service like that. Publix - shopping was a pleasure. So if you find yourself needing groceries and you're at the Field Stone Publix in Franklin, TN, stop in.

Guest Writers to Pet Peeving

I've been thinking. How many people would like to say something from time to time, but really don't want to keep and maintain a blog? Apparently a lot of people. I hear it all the time.

However, if they were given the opportunity to post every now and then and still did not have to keep a blog, would they do it? Let's find out. I am going to start allowing guest contributers to Pet Peeving. If I know you and you would like to contribute something from time to time, let me know. If I don't know you, leave a comment on why I should consider you and we'll see.

It could be a video, picture, story, etc...I don't care. If you do it regularly, I'll even share more of Pet Peeving with you.

Empowering Your Health

Empowering Your Health by Dr. Asa Andrew

I suppose it is fitting that the first book I read for 2008 is related to health since I am going to try and live a healthier life this coming year. As I've mentioned before, Dr. Andrew came to speak to our company for one of our weekly devotionals several weeks ago. He believes a lot in natural medicine.

His book provided me a lot of insight. I've never really taken the time to really look into "eating healthy." I grew up knowing that if I eat fruits and vegetables, I'll be alright. Well, Asa seems to take it a step further. He goes into detail on the supplements you need and the lifestyle you need, etc...

I have to admit, following everything he says ain't gonna be easy. In fact I am approaching with a baby step mentality. I also realized that eating healthy (the way Asa describes) can be really expensive and time consuming. Both of which add stress to my life which is exactly what he says you don't need. Ironic huh? Nonetheless, I asked my current doctor about Asa's philosophy and he did not discourage taking his advice nor did he seem like it was a remarkable idea. He basically told me, "You're 30 - eat vegetables and fruit and get plenty of exercise." Now where have I heard that before?

Anyway, this was my first "health and fitness" book - ever. So, Dr. Asa Andrew, thank-you for getting my attention. I'll start making some changes.

BTW...Asa, you say not to use an alarm clock to wake up with because it will shock the body. What do you suggest doing with my 19 month old son at 5:30 am?

My 2008 Reading List

Here are the books I am reading this year. If you have suggestions or have read any of these, please feel free to comment. Linked titles are books I've already completed and they are listed in the order that I read them. I have marked the books using a 5* rating. The more starts the better. My rankings are strictly based on how much the book impacted me. Also, feel free to take a look at my 2007 reading list.

1. Empowering Your Health by Dr. Asa Andrew***
2. Becoming a Category of One by Joe Calloway *****
   
3. How to Do Everything with Your Web 2.0 Blog by Todd Stauffer***
4. Strengths Finder 2.0 by Tim Rath***
5. Thou Shall Prosper by Rabbi Daniel Lapin*****
6. The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing by Al Ries & Jack Trout*
7. The Seven Minute Difference by Allyson Lewis***
8. Pagan Christianity by Frank Viola & George Barna*****
9. Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell***
10. The Reason for God by Timothy Keller*****
11. The Way of Jesus by Jonathan & Jennifer Campbell****
12. The Shack by William P. Young****
    
13. Mastering the Seven Decisions by Andy Andrews****
14. No More Mondays by Dan Miller****
15. Meatball Sundae by Seth Godin***
16. Boom! 7 Choices... by Kevin & Jackie Freiberg*****
17. Parent's Guide to Raising a Successful Child by Denise D. Witmer***
    
18. Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson***
19. Good in a Room by Stephanie Palmer*****
20. Descending into Greatness by Bill Hybels***
21. The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks***
22. Love is the Killer App by Tim Sanders*****
23. Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright*****
24. The Likeability Factor by Tim Sanders
    
25. The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne
26. A Gentle Madness by Nicholas A. Basbanes
27. Jesus and the Twelve by Robert P. Meye
28. America's Real War by Rabbi Daniel Lapin
29. 
    

Target Practice

Before you go out and practice target shooting with your .50 caliber sniper rifle, you may want to check out this video.

Eating and Living Healthier in 2008

I have never been a health nut. I have never cared what I eat or whether it was bad for me. After a few trips to the doctor in the past 6 months for various things I've decided that maybe it's time to start thinking a little more about my health. I think it's especially important now that I have hit the age of 30. So, for my 2008 goals, I am going to try to make better choices and choose healthier habits. This by far, is going to be my BHAG (big hairy *** goal) for the year. It's not going to be easy for me. I am going to use this page to try and track my new habits. Baby steps.....

1. Bought Sushi for the first time, Eating two apples a day for snacks, Eating at least one vegetable at dinner each night, stopped adding sweetener to my coffee.
2. Leaving out the sugar in coffee is hard. I dropped the habit. Now I drink water. I also stopped by soft drinks at the grocery store.
3. Eating bran flakes in the morning for breakfast. Wait, the fact that I am eating breakfast is good. I use to not.
4. Eating fruit for snacks at work.

Losing Weight - 2008

When I was a Freshman in college, I weighed in at 190 lbs. It's 12 years later and I am now at 230 lbs. So, one of my goals for 2008 is to get down to 205 lbs. I am going to keep track of my progress here.

Week 1: 230 lbs.
Week 2: 233 lbs. - muscle gain? :(
Week 3: 233 lbs.
Week 4: 228 lbs.
Week 5: 228 lbs.
Week 6: 228 lbs.
Week 7: 228 lbs.
Week 8:
Week 9:
Week 10:
Week 11:
Week 12:
Week 13:
Week 14:
Week 15:
Week 16:
Week 17:
Week 18:
Week 19:
Week 20:

Gazelle Budget Lite by Dave Ramsey

I am pretty excited about the little tool. It's the Gazelle Budget Lite. Our team just finished this up a few weeks ago. It's a very, very, simplistic budget software that quickly spits out a recommended budget for you based on your income. Each category is based on percentages recommended by Dave Ramsey. After your budget is set up, you can then make adjustments according to where you live and what your situation is. When you click the arrow on each category, you can read more about the items that should be budgeted for that category.

This tool is a small preview of what is available on MyTotalMoneyMakeover.com. The full version of the Gazelle Budget Software has a WHOLE lot more and comes as a part of your membership to the site. Anyway, play around with this tool and create you a budget!

Daily Bible Reading

Our church family is taking the challenge of reading the Bible daily in 2008. As a result, my wife and I are going to attempt to do the same thing while also reading it all this year. One of the things that we are going to be doing is reading it together. Here is our progress.

Date | Reading
01/01 | Genesis 1-3
01/02 | Genesis 4-6
01/03 | Genesis 7-9
01/04 | Genesis 10-12
01/05 | Genesis 13-15
01/06 | Genesis 16-18
01/07 | Genesis 19-24
01/08 | Genesis 25-26
01/09 | Genesis 27-29
01/10 | Genesis 30-31
01/13 | Genesis 32-37
01/14 | Genesis 38-42
01/15 | Genesis 43-45
01/16 | Genesis 46-47

Training for the Country Music 1/2 Marathon

Below is my training log for the Country Music Half Marathon on April 26, 2008. Completing it is one of my 2008 goals. I am just aiming at finishing it since this is my first. I hope to run the whole thing, but walking it is not out of the question.

Here is the training program I am going to attempt to follow. I found it and some other good tips here. Basically, I need to be up to 3 miles by February 18.

10-Week Half Marathon Training Schedule

Week	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat	Sun	Total
1	3>	Rest	3	3*	Rest	4	Rest	13
2	3	Rest	4	3*	Rest	5>	Rest	15
3	3	Rest	4	3	Rest	6	Rest	16
4	3	Rest	5	3	Rest	8	Rest	19
5	3	Rest	5	3	Rest	10	Rest	21
6	4	Rest	5	4	Rest	11	Rest	24
7	4	Rest	6	4	Rest	12	Rest	26
8	4	Rest	5	4	Rest	9	Rest	22
9	3	Rest	4	3	Rest	8	Rest	18
10	3	Rest	3	Walk 2	Rest	13.1	Rest	21.1

Green = Accomplished
Red = Failed

* Full court basketball on Thursday AM for an hour made up for the lost day.
> Made up on the following day.

My Daily Log - Pre-training
01/01 | 30 Min. | Ran 1 mile, Walked 1 mile
01/02 | 20 Min. | Walked 1 mile
01/04 | 20 Min. | Walked 1 mile
01/05 | 25 Min. | Ran 2 miles
01/07 | 23 Min. | Ran 2 miles
01/09 | 23 Min. | Ran 2 Miles
01/10 | 21 Min. | Ran 2 Miles
01/12 | 90 Min. | Helped a friend move.
01/14 | 31 Min. | Ran 3 Miles
01/16 | 30 Min. | Ran/Walk 2 miles.
02/06 | 1 hour | Basketball - Full Court
02/14 | 1 hour | Basketball - Full Court

Let it snow!

Although there wasn't a huge accumulation of snow, for about 20 minutes there was a beautiful downfall. We took a few minutes to bundle up and go outside to let our son see what it was like to fall on his face. He wasn't too impressed but he was glad to be outside even though it was freezing.

So, 2008 has arrived. I've gotten off to a good start on several goals. One of the things me and my family are doing is reading through the Bible together. Our son obviously isn't following along at only 19 months old, but maybe he will take more interest in books. Right now he has none.

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